Nugget Fuzz Build

[untamedfrontier]

This was a fun build! I've been trying to make things super tidy and this was a pretty solid effort if I do say so myself. Still figuring out my preferred ways of using the power connectors, as I gave this one a little bit of lead from the DC jack.

This was also my first time utilizing the 2 PedalPCB drill guides and it couldn't have been easier. Also shoutout to those dewalt trigger clamps for holding this bad boy down.

Sound-wise this one is interesting for me, seems to be more friendly with single note/lead lines rather than chords, but it does have an interesting sound to it.

Today's record is brought to you by Lo Tom, who just announced their new record, first single on Spotify here.

 

[Chuck D. Bones]

Clean build!
What method did you use to dial in the bias?
Where did you get your 1N34A's? Their leakage will definitely affect the tone.

 

[untamedfrontier]

Thanks!
I biased this one by ear, and it's almost full out, probably 90% as anything from 40-70% was giving a really starved velcro fuzz tone, which wasn't what i was feeling before i put the screws on the enclosure

Got the 1N34A's from Tayda

 

[chongmagic]

My Buddy likes your workspace.

 

[untamedfrontier]

View attachment 5915

My Buddy likes your workspace.

get your buddy some sunglasses! so cute!

 

[Kroars]

Clean build!
What method did you use to dial in the bias?
Where did you get your 1N34A's? Their leakage will definitely affect the tone.

Hey Chuck,

Hope you’re well.

Im currently building the Nugget and happened by your post. I’m curious, are we looking for higher or lower leakage in our ge diodes for this particular build?

Thanks as always!

 

[Barry]

Very clean! Looks great!

 

[Chuck D. Bones]

Hey Chuck,

Hope you’re well.

Im currently building the Nugget and happened by your post. I’m curious, are we looking for higher or lower leakage in our ge diodes for this particular build?

Thanks as always!

Thanks, Man. We're doing ok here, managing the risk and staying healthy.
The Nugget needs low leakage Ge diodes. In this circuit, leaky diodes won't act like diodes, they'll act like resistors and make the gain in the first clipping stage too low. The 1N34A's I bought from Tayda appear to be schottky, not germanium. Some schottky diodes are leaky too. Whatever diodes you use, legit or fugazi, have to be tested for leakage for the Nugget to work as Cornish intended. NB, you don't have to use 1N34A, any low leakage germanium diode will work.

 

[Kroars]

Got it, thank you kindly. I ended up using GD859’s in one and D9B’s in the other and they both sound very similar and great. Super cool circuit. I typically get my diodes from Pedal Hacker, they’ve always been spot on and he’s got tons to choose from.

On a side note, you had mentioned using ge diodes in a Crystal Drive, thanks for that! I took your advice and it makes the gain nice and warm. Sounds great. Always enjoy reading what you have to say such a wealth of knowledge.

 

[Kroars]

Thanks, Man. We're doing ok here, managing the risk and staying healthy.
The Nugget needs low leakage Ge diodes. In this circuit, leaky diodes won't act like diodes, they'll act like resistors and make the gain in the first clipping stage too low. The 1N34A's I bought from Tayda appear to be schottky, not germanium. Some schottky diodes are leaky too. Whatever diodes you use, legit or fugazi, have to be tested for leakage for the Nugget to work as Cornish intended. NB, you don't have to use 1N34A, any low leakage germanium diode will work.

Hey Chuck,

Sorry to bother you with what I’m sure is a silly question, although I’m at a loss. I’m hoping you can help give me a quick tutorial on how to check for leakage on a ge diode? I’ve been looking online for a while now and can’t seem to find anything conclusive. I’ve read that one must set your DMM (I’ve got a Fluke 115) to measure resistance and then put the red probe on the cathode and black in the anode. Is this correct? If yes, what measurement is considered high leakage and what is considered low?

Ive been selecting diodes by ear, but I’d really like to know the process in testing diodes for leakage. This is for another Nugget build.

Thank you kindly!

 

[Chuck D. Bones]

Nice meter! That is the correct procedure. Set the meter to measure resistance and set the range to manual, 6Meg full scale range. Don't let it autorange, you might get confusing readings. A good diode for this circuit will read at least 1Meg. Higher is better. Use clip leads. Do not touch the diode or leads during the meassurement because your skin resistance and the heat from your body will upset the measurement. Don't be surprised if the majority of your Ge diodes do not pass this test. For comparison purposes, check a Si diode like 1N4148.

Not a silly question. A bunch of people were wondering how to do it, you were the only one willing to ask.

 

[Kroars]

Nice meter! That is the correct procedure. Set the meter to measure resistance and set the range to manual, 6Meg full scale range. Don't let it autorange, you might get confusing readings. A good diode for this circuit will read at least 1Meg. Higher is better. Use clip leads. Do not touch the diode or leads during the meassurement because your skin resistance and the heat from your body will upset the measurement. Don't be surprised if the majority of your Ge diodes do not pass this test. For comparison purposes, check a Si diode like 1N4148.

Not a silly question. A bunch of people were wondering how to do it, you were the only one willing to ask.

This is exactly what I needed!!! Thank you so much! I’ve got a ton of ge diodes from small bear, pedal hacker, stomp box parts (not eBay...) diodes and I’ve tested a handful of them. I set the meter at 6M but couldn’t find one that read over 200k, so I figured I was doing something wrong. The fact that you mentioned not to be surprised if many don’t pass the test helps a lot, as I’ve only tested around 15 out of over 100.
I’ll continue to test and see what I can find! Again, thank you very much for taking the time to respond!

 

[fig]

@Kroars
now we are on the CORRECT same page

 

[Kroars]

@Kroars
now we are on the CORRECT same page

When all else fails, summon Mr. Bones.

 

[Chuck D. Bones]

You guys will all remember this and help the next guy.

 

[untamedfrontier]

All the replies on this make me think maybe I should pop this bad boy open and swap out those 1N34A's (after they've been properly tested for leakage, of course)